The Adventures of Hercule Poirot was a short-lived series on the Mutual radio network. It lasted one year and few episodes have survived. The weekly series starred Harold Huber. Huber was an established stage and film actor, often playing “heavies” (bad guys). He also portrayed Fu Manchu in that radio series.

Though Agatha Christie had short stories and novels available for adaptation, and ideas for storylines, all of the Poirot radio scripts were new, and not based on her works.

The Hehn collection has the first episode of the series from 1945-02-22, “The Careless Victim.” At the beginning of the broadcast, they attempted to have Christie introduce the program over short wave, an impressive technological feat at the time, usually reserved for WW2 news broadcasts. They had problems establishing the connection, but she does appear. It is easy to take the international communications that seem so natural today for granted. Having her on the program required significant effort and planning those decades ago.

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These recordings are part of the Joe Hehn Memorial Collection. Mr. Hehn (1931-2020) was a pioneering collector of radio recordings when the hobby emerged in the 1960s. Digitizing his collection of reel tapes and discs is the effort of a wide range of North American volunteers, and includes assistance of some international collectors. The groups supporting this effort with their funds, time, technology and skills are the Old Time Radio Researchers and a small group of transcription disc preservationists who refer to themselves as the "The Knights of the Turning Table."

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